Held since 1995, the COP (Conference of the Parties) is the meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for political leaders, but which also annually brings together representatives from different countries, scientists and civil society organizations to debate the climate agenda. During the COP, possible practices to be applied for mitigation, adaptation and financing of projects for countries most vulnerable to the climate crisis are discussed.
One of the main objectives of the conference is to have as a result the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as dealt with in the Paris Agreement, which entered into force in 2016. At the time, the 55 countries that represented at least 55 % of world GHG emissions, have committed to the reduction.
Over the years, plenary sessions composed of heads of state have shared the spotlight with representatives from various sectors of civil society. They are activists, members of NGOs, religious leaders, researchers, executives and businessmen who are aware of the importance of integrating discussions about the future of the planet and humanity.
Since 2019, ISER has closely followed the actions and debates of the COP through our Faith in the Climate initiative, created in 2015. The project emerged in the context of two important events of that year: the promulgation of the encyclical “Laudato Sí ”, by Pope Francis, and the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP 21, which took place in Paris.
As in previous editions, we are at COP 27 because our mission is to bring together and engage religious leaders to raise the awareness of their faith communities in facing the climate crisis. We do this through dialogue between scientists, religionists, environmentalists and representatives of indigenous peoples, with goals of adaptation, resilience and climate justice.
Since then, we have been working in dialogue with leaders of faith communities, participating in networks and spaces on the climate agenda, producing and disseminating information on environmental and climate issues, among other actions.
Civil society has built important movements to raise awareness of the climate crisis and in the search for rights and policies based on mobilizations and campaigns around the world. We will continue to mobilize and demand through Faith so that policies support the population most impacted by this crisis, and climate justice is a priority for everyone.
